Hats in a variety of forms are worn by people around the world every day. Hats having wide brims are commonly worn to limit sun exposure to the head and neck or to shield a person's eyes from the sun. Often times, hats are used as fashion accessories to complete an outfit. In other situation, hats are worn as part of a uniform such as by a police officer or by a baseball player.
One common reason that individuals wear hats is to promote comfort and limit their exposure to certain weather conditions. Hats are often worn during the fall, winter and spring to protect the wearer from weather conditions such as frigid temperature, snow, rain and wind that may make the wearer uncomfortable or even result in the wearer being exposed to dangerous conditions.
Due to these concerns, a number of hat designs incorporating face protection means, such as a mask have been suggested. Examples of such designs include U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,877 Conne; U.S. Pat. No. 2,462,258 Dannenberg; U.S. Pat. No. 2,839,757 Gianola; U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,510 Forbes-Robinson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,868 Snow; U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,417 Brown, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,804 Carey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,336 Nevins; U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,087 Blutstein et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,009 Ryvin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,648 Nucifora; U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,800 Anderson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,432 Daneshvar; U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,204 Morrissey; U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,206 MacDonald et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. D296,031 Coy et al.; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,648 Nucifora describes a hat with protective coverings for the neck, ears and face. The coverings are removable and can be stored in the hat. A face mask that covers the eyes, nose and mouth of the wearer is also included, where eye ports are cut into the mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 798,877 Conne discloses a hat with a visor. The visor is hinged to the body portion of the hat and can be swung down into position to be used as a face protector. In addition, the visor can be removed from the hat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,417 Brown, Jr. et al. describes a mask and hat combination, where the mask portions can be folded out of the way. The folded mask portions can be folded upward and affixed to the crown of the hat.
Hats that include a mask-type facial covering are known in the art. However, face masks that can be attached to a hat may be difficult to attach and reattach. In addition, the face mask may allow for cold air, dust and other unwanted particles to enter the facial area, due to the mask not being fitted to the wearer's face or adjustable to the wearer's face. Hence, there is a need for facial mask that can be easily attached and detached from a hat, and a mask whose size can be adjusted by the wearer.
Another frequent use of hats is by hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. Often times, there may be a law or a hunting standard requiring participants to wear hats and other clothing having bright, distinctive colors to promote visibility. Even non-hunters will frequently wear such headgear when in the outdoors during open hunting seasons to clearly distinguish themselves to hunters who may be in the vicinity. In other situations, hunters may wear a hat designed to blend in with the surrounding environment and limit the possibility of being seen by the hunter's prey as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,141 to Egnew, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As much of the hunting is done in the early spring or late fall, hunters are often exposed to a wide variety of weather conditions during the day. As a hunter's day often begins before sunrise and may extend beyond sunset, hunters often experience freezing temperatures early in the morning or in the early evening. Oftentimes, the same hunters will experience temperatures 20 to 30 degrees higher during the late morning and early afternoon of the same day. With these changing temperature conditions, hunter's can also experience a combination of rain and snow on any given day.
In addition to the changing weather conditions, hunters may utilize their hats for a number of uses during a single day. Early in the morning hats are often worn to limit exposure to cold weather, to signify their presence to other hunters, or to blend into their surroundings. Later in the day, hats may be used to limit exposure to the sun.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,206 MacDonald et al. describes a modular hat that can take on a number of shapes, with various attachment pieces. The hat configuration can be matched to the environmental conditions the wearer is experiencing.
Because of the multiplicity of uses a hunter may have for his or her hat on any given day, it would be desirable to have a hat that can adapt to accommodate the hunter's current situation.